Food Blog

How to Eat Your Christmas Tree

Chef Rene Redzepi thinks it's a shame that Christmas trees are used for a few days then discarded, so he writes in the New York Times that perhaps we should considering eating our Christmas trees. "Maybe for us Westerners the Christmas tree becomes, if only briefly, like a beloved pet. And who would like to eat their dog or cat?" An evergreen's not a pet; it's delicious! He suggests using the needles the same way you'd use herbs, and smoking meats with the branches. There's recipes!

An Austin, Texas, food truck owner, still reeling from the death of his 3-year-old son last month, had one of his food trailers stolen shortly before Christmas. KVUE reports that an anonymous tip led authorities to the trailer. Owner Jason Umlas will retrieve it today. "Honestly, losing a piece of property is really trivial compared to life and death issues. So this is not something I've really gotten upset about; it's just more that I shake my head at the absurdity of it," said Umlas.

Dear foodies, please settle down. The Chicago Tribune talks to chefs and food writers about the fine line between appreciating good food and being a picky obsessive. It's exhausting. Food writer Amanda Hesser said, "Knowing a lot about food culture is a good thing. That cataloguing of food experience is becoming tiresome. I'm pro-food experts. I'm just not so sure I want to have dinner with them or have them judge me on the coffee I drink."

And if we don't take it down a notch? We'll be punished with a lifetime of eating food spewed from a printer. According to the BBC, Cornell University is developing a printer that, using inks made from food products, can "print" food. Homaro Cantu of Chicago's Moto has printed sushi and said, "Imagine being able to essentially 'grow', 'cook' or prepare foods without the negative industrial impact - everything from fertilizers to saute pans and even packaging. The production chain requirements for food would nearly be eliminated."